The present invention relates to a knitting density adjusting method and, more particularly, to a method of adjusting the knitting densities of respective courses when a flat knitted fabric is to be produced.
If the knitting cams of a lock are positioned at an equal height at righthand and lefthand sides during the rightward and leftward strokes of a carriage when a knitted fabric is to be produced by a flat knitting machine, the knitting density of the stitches made during the leftward stroke of the carriage is not identical to that of the stitches made during the rightward stroke of the carriage. This is considered to come from the following reasoning. Specifically, when the carriage is transferred, in case a feed source of yarns such as a bobbin is disposed at one side of the frame of the knitting machine, to the opposite side from the yarn feed source, it is transferred, while pulling out the yarn from the bobbin or the like, to apply a tension to the yarn. When the carriage is turned at the end portion of the knitting machine so that it approaches the yarn feed source, the yarn is already pulled out so that the knitting operation is conducted by the use of said pulled-out yarn, whereby no tension is applied to the yarn. On the other hand, even in case the yarn feed sources such as the bobbins are disposed at both the sides of the machine frame so that the yarns are pulled out from the bobbins at the two sides and are fed to one feeder, the tensions to the yarns are delicately different for the rightward and leftward strokes of the carriage so that there arises a difference in the knitting density between the rightward and leftward knitting strokes of the knitted fabric. This results in a difference in the consumption rate of the yarns between the rightward and leftward strokes of the carriage. This difference is not clear just at a glance of the knitted fabric if it is several percentages. The good appearance of the knitted fabric, however, is deteriorated if the difference increases.
On the other hand, there is a tendency that the knitting density increases for the increase in the knitting speed of the knitting machine. As a result, if the knitting speed is changed during the knitting operation, the knitting density is accordingly changed so that knitting irregularities are caused in the courses of the knitted fabric produced.
Moreover, in case there is difference in the lengthes of the knitting yarns for knitting the respective courses, as has been described in the above, it is impossible to know in advance the length of the knitting yarn of one garment, and still the worse it becomes difficult to knit a fabric with patterns unless excess amount of dyed yarns is prepared for the knitting.